This new lounge bar in the basement of new Peninsula Hotel on the Bund is based on Madame Ning, a fictional Shanghai socialite and avid explorer.

The place is cram packed with her travel mementos, art and other miscellaneous ‘objets.’ The resulting decor is busy, slightly bonkers and a bally good laugh. The central bar and stage area – animal skin print stools, swirling chandeliers and a spiral staircase – is surrounded by four themed alcoves: a screening room showing old reels and hung with posters from cinema’s golden age; a maharajah’s sumptuous sitting chamber complete with a silk-cushioned sofa and peacock feathers; a submarine with a periscope, deep-sea diver and a shark’s head smashing through the metal paneling; and an artist’s studio in which everything but the furniture is upside-down – the book-lined walls, paintings, fireplace and even a bust and an easel on the ceiling.

Kaiba – The Belgian Beer Garden   

For the past year and a half, where else in town could you find a better selection of beers poured by a more passionate and knowledgeable staff than Kaiba? Well, nowhere. At least not until they opened a second branch in Changning district. And this may very well outdo its predecessor. They’ve built a beer garden. It’s a perfect fit among the tree-lined streets and colonial villas in the neighborhood and an ideal place to toss back a Trappist ale or six. For now, though, we suggest kicking back in the cozy candlelit main bar until winter blows over. And if great beer and atmosphere aren’t enough to draw you, there’s live jazz on Friday nights, specials for the ladies on Wednesday nights and Belgian-style Moules Frites (that’s mussels and chips to you non-continentals) on Tuesdays. Finally, a destination in a neighborhood so desperately devoid of them.

Sun-Thu, 4pm-12.30am, Fri-Sat, 4pm-2am. All cards. 739 Dingxi Lu, near Yan'an Xi Lu (6280 5688) 定西路739号, 近Ñ”安西路

Is it a bar? No. Is it a restaurant? No. Is there a grumpy old lady upstairs demanding quiet at all times? Yes. And yet this tucked away hidey-hole in Tianzifang still has some character. Come to think of it, that's really about all it has. Cream-colored walls are adorned with jigsaw puzzles depicting everything from young love in black and white to Paris by night. The ceiling has an assortment of ceramic ornaments and they’ve crammed in some cushy sofas to accommodate no more than 15 people. It feels as if you’re sitting in someone’s living room – someone who happens to make delicious coffee and play really (yawn) chilled music. Wine and bottled beers are very reasonable at around the RMB25 mark, and if you buy two, you get the third one free. If you get hungry, a subpar menu offers oddities like pepperoni quesadillas (RMB30) or more familiar Shanghai fried noodles (RMB26). Be warned: the lady upstairs goes to bed early. Unless you want to be shushed with every sip of beer, make this an afternoon watering hole.

Mon-Fri 10.30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-late. No cards. No. 28, Lane 155 Jianguo Zhong Lu, Tianzifang (137 6468 1192) 建国中路155弄28号, 近瑞金二路

Hand on heart, this place does have the potential to become the stuff of rock legend. It already has the large but intimate magic of San Francisco’s The Fillmore, the sticky floors of CBGB’s in NYC (rest in peace!), and a sound system to rival London’s Brixton Academy.

The set-up is perfect: wide stage, fantastic lights (anyone at the recent Mono show can testify to that) and a spacious standing area. The drinks are cheap enough to ensure a few authentically wasted teenagers are part of the scenery – no great gig venue is complete without floppy-haired kids gulping surreptitiously from plastic cups.

‘Seedy’ was never quite the right word for Goodfellas. This watering hole’s reputation was always an unfortunate case of guilt by association. But with its former neighbors out of business and its neighborhood out of commission, perhaps this dive can reinvent itself. It seems it’s already begun to. For starters, the owners have had the foresight to move to what is fast becoming a happening nightlife strip. They’ve also put in a patio. And yet the drinks remain around the same price (RMB40 for imported beers and most cocktails). Unfortunately, the new ‘Fellas has lost some of that gritty lived-in-local appeal. For instance, they’ve left the snapshots of drunken punters on the walls of the old location, and it’ll take years to fill the place with graffiti again. All the same, we’re glad to see that it survived.

Daily 2pm-2am. No cards. 259 Fumin Lu, by Changle Lu (No telephone at time of writing) 富民路259号, 近长乐路